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Here comes the Draft: New talent, excitement on deck

MLB releases selection order for the 2013 First-Year Player Draft on June 6

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Mayo previews 2013 Draft 3:59

MLB.com senior writer Jonathan Mayo gives the lowdown on some of the top prospects in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft

By Teddy Cahill
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MLB.com |

With the start of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft less than five weeks away, Major League Baseball released the selection order Friday. The Astros will have the first pick for the second year in a row when the Draft begins June 6 at MLB Network's Studio 42 in Secaucus, N.J.

This is just the third time a team has had the first overall selection in consecutive years. Tampa Bay selected 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner David Price with the No. 1 pick in 2007 and Tim Beckham at No. 1 in '08. The Nationals picked first in 2009 and '10, netting them Stephen Strasburg and 2012 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner Bryce Harper. The Astros, who selected shortstop Carlos Correa a year ago, will hope for similar success from their duo.

Houston reportedly has narrowed the pool it is considering for the first pick to about six players, including Stanford right-hander Mark Appel, Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray, Indiana State left-hander Sean Manaea, University of San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant and Georgia high school outfielders Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows. They're also the top six players on MLB.com's 2013 Top 100 Draft Prospects list.

The Cubs will pick second overall, and the Rockies, Twins and Indians round out the top five. Five teams have multiple first-round selections. The Yankees hold three first-round picks (Nos. 26, 32 and 33), and the Pirates (Nos. 9 and 14), Cardinals (Nos. 19 and 28), Rays (Nos. 21 and 29) and Rangers (Nos. 23 and 30) all have a pair. The Yankees and Marlins will each pick four times on the first night of the Draft.

MLB.com and MLB Network will once again provide live coverage of the Draft on Day 1. The Draft preview show begins at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the first two rounds and two Competitive Balance rounds.

The Draft will again last three days, but in a change from previous years, it will run Thursday-Saturday instead of Monday-Wednesday. Rounds 3-10 will take place on Friday, June 7, beginning at 1 p.m. ET, and Rounds 10-40 will begin at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 8. Days 2 and 3 will take place via conference call from MLB headquarters in New York.

MLB.com will provide exclusive live coverage of the second and third days of the Draft. Fans will be able to see each pick live with expert commentary, as well as access to Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of every Draft-eligible player, supplemented by statistics, scouting reports and video highlights.

While most of the Draft's setup will be unchanged this year, there is one significant change from years past. As a provision of the most recent collective bargaining agreement, two Competitive Balance rounds will be added to the Draft for the first time.

The Competitive Balance rounds are designed to give teams in smaller markets or with lower revenues an extra selection. The clubs with the 10 lowest revenues and those in the 10 smallest markets were entered in a lottery last July for the six picks in Competitive Balance Round A. Those clubs not selected, as well as any other that receives revenue-sharing money, were entered in a second lottery for the six picks in Competitive Balance Round B.

The Royals won the first lottery and received the 34th overall pick.

Unlike any other Draft picks, Competitive Balance Round picks can be traded. Three changed hands last summer, and the Indians forfeited their Competitive Balance Round B selection when they signed Michael Bourn.

On Day 1 of the Draft, each team will be represented by a former player and/or a member of the front office. This year's representatives will be announced in the coming weeks, but last year's group included Hall of Famers Pat Gillick, Ferguson Jenkins, Tommy Lasorda and Frank Robinson.

In addition to the club representatives, Correa and four other first-rounders were on hand in Secaucus for last year's Draft. Players planning to attend this year have not yet been announced.

Teddy Cahill is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @tedcahill. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.